Hypodermic needle



Aug. z5; 1925.

l. KULIK HYPODERMIG NEEDLE Filed Sept. 30. 1922 a8 mmf Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

UNITED STATES i 4 l HYPODERJVIIC NEEDLE.

PATENT OFFICE.

IRVING KULIK, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

Application led September 30, 1922. Serial No. 591,490.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, IRVING Kmart, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Hypodermic Needle, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention is a hypodermic needle and the invention is directed, not only to the needle construction, but also to the means whereby it may be associated in a ready and expeditious manner with a hypodermic or other medical syringe.

Hypodermic needles generally embody a tubular, needle-like portion, pointed at one end and known to the trade as the cannula. The blunt end of the cannula is provided with suitable means for mounting` it on a hypodermic syringe. In most prior devices, the cannula is rigidly mounted at its blunt end upon a hub which is interiorly threaded and is adapted to be screwed upon the threaded outlet nipple of the syringe, while in other constructions the cannula is provided at its blunt end with a substantially Hat head adapted to be clamped between a removable hub and the end of the threaded nipple of the syringe.

The uses of hypodermic needles are such as to require them to be made very slender and frail and it is not uncommon, during the injection operation, for the cannula to be broken. This breakage may result through sudden movement on the part of the patient as he feels the prick of the needle, :trom frequent use of the needle,.or from any one of several other causes. In any event, the broken part of the cannula can, in all prior structures, be removed from the patients body only by the use of tweezers or pliers which serve to disconcert the patient and, moreover, at the time the needle is broken, it is often dilicult, and sometimes impossible, even with the use of tweezers and pliers, to catch hold of the broken end.

My experience has shown that in practically every instance breakage of the cannula occurs directly adjacent the end of the hub or head and I have found that if the hub or head can be secured to a point in the length of the cannula beyond the normal point of attachment between the cannula and hub or head, in the event of breakage, the broken part may be readily removed without the use of tweezers or pliers. To this end, I attach to the cannula intermediate its sharpened end and its point of attachment to the head or hub, one end of a wire cable or other suitable tension member, while the other end of this tension member is secured to the head or hub. If breakage occurs at the usual point of connection between the can- 4.nula and the hub or head this tension member may be utilized to withdraw the broken cannula by simply exerting a slight pull on the syringe. In this manner, the broken cannula is removed from the patients body in a simple and expeditious manner and without requiring recourse to instruments.

Another feature of the invention resides in novel means for mounting the needle 0n a syringe. In accordance with this feature of the invention, the blunt end of the cannula is provided with a tapering or conical head, preferably of some soft metal, and with this tapered head is adapted to cooperate a hub, the interior of which is complementarily shaped, so that when the hub is screwed on the nipple of the syringe it will bebrought into wedging engagement with the tapering head, to effect a tight oint with the soft metal head and simultaneously force the end of the head into tight abutting relation with the end of the nipple.

In practice, the head of the needle is preferably formed with a long taper and the opening in the hub is of sufficient size to permit a portion of the head to extend therethrough into exposed position at all times. With this construction, needles having cannulas of widely different sizes may be used with a hub of constant size so long as all of such needles have heads of substantially the same size, since the hub cooperates directly with the head and has no direct connection with the cannula.

It is the practice, when hypodermic needles are not in use, to leave a piece of wire extending through the bore or lumen oit' the cannula to keep it clean and preclude clogging thereof. I/Vhen the needle is to be used this wire is removed and laid aside until the operation is complete, whereupon the wire is returned to position after the needle is sterilized and cleaned. The wires used for this purpose are necessarily very line and I have found, .in practice, that when one of such wires is laid down it is usually impossible to subsequently find it and it is necessary to have a stock of these wires on hand so that a new one may be used if the old one cannot be found.

In accordance with this invention, I entirely obvia-te this annoyance by providing a bore or lumen wire with a readily visible target which is associated with such wire in any suitable manner. The target is of convenient size and of an appropriate color which will render it clearly visible when the wire is laid aside, thereby enabling such wire to be readily discerned and found after the operation.

Features of the invention, other than those adverted to, will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description and claims, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one practical embodiment of the invention, but the construction therein shown is to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure l is a side elevation of a hypodermic needle embodying the present invention associated with the contiguous end of a hypodermic syringe.

Figure 2 shows the same parts as illustrated in Figure l with the hub and the syringe in section.

Figure 3 shows the hub and needle removed from the syringe, the syringe and needle being shown in elevation and the hub in central section.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the needle.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 3; and Y Figure 6 shows a cannula with a target associated therewith, in accordance with this invention.

Referring to the drawings, l designates a hypodermic or other medical syringe provided at one end with a nipple or threaded stem 2 with which the needle is adapted to be associated. The stem 2 is channeled as at 3 so that liquid within the syringe may be forced through this channel and then through the needle. The syringe 1 forms no part of the present invention but is simply shown and described in order that the adaptation of the present Iinvention thereto may be more clearly understood.

Referring now to the needle, 4 designates the cannula thereof which, as is usual, is of tubular form and is sharpened to -a point by beveling one end as shown at 5. The blunt end of the cannula Il is provided with a head 6 which, in accordance with this invention, is preferably of relatively soft metal and is conical or tapering throughout the greater portion of its length. The head may be tapered throughout its entire length but the eXtreme end portion 7 thereof is preferably made cylindrical so as not to catch in the interior threads 8 of a hub 9, by means of which the needle is adapted to be mounted on the syringe. y

The hub 9 is tubular in form and interiorly threaded throughout substantially half its length as shown at 8, while for the remainder of its interior length its bore is tapered or frusto-conical as best illustrated at 10 in Figure 3. The taper of the bore 10 of the hub is the same as the taper of the head 6 of the needle and said head is accordingly adapted to go to a seat in the hub when the parts are in assembled relation. It will be noted, however, that the small end of the bore 10 is somewhat larger than the diameter of the cannula. Accordingly, when the parts are assembled, a portion of the head is adapted to protrude beyond the end of the hub after the manner shown in Figures l and 2,

In assembling the parts, the hub 9 is slipped over the needle as shown in Figure 3 and, after being passed the full length of the needle to permit the head to seat in the tapered portion 10 of the hub, said hub is screwed onto the stem 2 of the syringe and by screwing down the hub tightly, the head 6 is forced to a tight seat in the frustoconical bore of the hub and, at the same time, the blunt end of the head is forced into tight abutting relation with the stem 2, with the bore or lumen of the cannula in alinement with the channel 3 of the syringe stem.

IVhen the parts are fully assembled, they will appear as shown in Figures l and 2, wherein it will be seen that a portion of the head 6 projects an appreciable distance beyond the end of the hub.A The advantage of this construction is that, in the event the head jams within the hub, as is not infrequent, or the cannula becomes broken directly adjacent the head, the hub may be screwed ofi' of the stem 2, and by lightly tapping the projecting end of the head, said head may be readily removed from the hub. In this feature, my invention is a pronounced improvement on prior constructions. All prior hypodermic needles employing replaceable hubs have the disadvantage that when the metal head in any way becomes jammed within the hub it is practically impossible to remove this head from the hub, particularly if the cannula is broken, and the hub has to be discarded. In my improved needle, however, the conically tapering soft metal head projects from within the replaceable adaptable hub in such manner that direct pressure canfbe brought to bear .upon the exposed portion of the head and the removal of such head easily accomplished.

I have hereinbefore referred to the fact that the smaller end of the bore of the hub is considerably larger than the diameter of the cannula and, accordingly, a large variety of cannula sizes may be associated with a common head size adapted for cooperation with a common hub size and such single hub may be used with a large variety of cannula sizes, the only difference in the several assemblies being that, when the larger cannula is used, the head will project a lesser distance beyond the end of the hub when the parts are assembled than is the case with smaller cannula sizes. In all prior needles employing replaceable hubs, a different hub is required for each cannula size and it is necessary to carry a large assortment of hubs on hand. The reason for this is that, in prior devices, the hub cooperates directly with the cannula, while in the present invention the hub cooperates with the head independently of the cannula. A

It is not infrequent in the administration of hypodermic injections, that the cannula becomes broken, leaving a portion of the cannula in the body of the patient and in such instances, in prior constructions, it is necessary to resort to the use of tweezers, and often trying surgical measures are required to remove the broken part from the body. My experience has shown that the cannula usually breaks directly adjacent the head or hub and the present invention contemplates the provision of means for obviating the removal of a cannula so broken. To this end, the cannula is provided at a short distance from the head with a small projection or a ring of metal as shown at 1l which is permanently secured to the cannula and may, in practice, be formed in several ways, such, e. g., as by depositing a small drop or ring of, solder thereon. A cable of. line wire 12 is looped about the cannula 4 beyond the projection 11 and is twisted so as to .secure the wire to the cannula beyond such projection. The twisted portion of the wire is led back over theprojection 11 along the needle, as best shown in Figures 3 and 4 and is positioned within a channel or groove 14 formed in the conical face of the head. The wire or cable 12 may be soldered to the projection 11 and to the head 6 if desired but I have found in practice that if it is simply bedded in wax in the groove 14 it will be tightly bound to the head when the parts are assembled and the hub is in place on the stem of the syringe. lith this construction, it will be apparent that if the cannula breaks o1f,\as is usual, adjacent the head and between the projection 11 and the head, the broken part will remain securely attached by means of the cable or wire 12 to the syringe and can be removed from the patient lymsimply exerting a slight pull on the syringe which will be transmitted tothe broken cannula portion through the tension member 12 to elfect the removal of such broken portion.

In making injections into tissues, particularly along bony parts, thebevel 5 of the point of the needlemust slide along the bone in orderto avoid catching. When the needle enters the body this bevel 5 cannot be seen. By placing the tension member 12 in alinement with this bevel 5 or in a predetermined relation to the bevel, the position of the bevel 5 with reference to the bone, while in the tissues, can be known.

Vhen hypodermic needles are not in use it is the practice to leave a wire extending through the bore or lumen of the cannula to preclude clogging thereof by the entrance of extraneous mattei'. The wires used for this purpose are necessarily very fine and when removed and laid aside during an operation invariably become lost through the inability of the surgeon to readily see and find them at the conclusion of the operation, because of their lineness. I have found that this objection may be readily overcome by attaching to such a wire a readily visible target. Thus in Figures 3 and 6 the wire 15 is mounted upon a target 16 and can be attached in several ways, e. g., coiled back upon itself as shown at '17 to permanently mount the target on the wir-e. The target may be of any suitable color which renders itlieadily visible and, when equipped with such target, the wire may be readily located and replaced in the cannula after an operation. The losing or misplacement of wires in the past has been the source of continual annoyances which the present invention entirely overcomes.

In the foregoing detailed description and in the accompanying drawings I have set forth the invention in the preferred practical embodiment. I am aware, however,

'that the invention embodies several distinct features, som-e of which may be utilized without necessarily employing them all. Accordngly, the invention is to be understood as broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claims.

vHaving thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An assembly of the character described embodying a syringe, a cannula, means for `mounting the cannula on the syringe, and

a relatively straight cable, one end of which is secured to the cannula and the other end of which is secured to the syringe, said cable extending longitudinallyalong one side of the cannula, whereby the cannula may be removed from the body of the patient in case of breakage of the cannula intermediate the syringe and the point of attachment of the cable to the cannula, in which event the cable is adapted to impart a direct pull upon the broken off portion of the cannula.

2. An Vassembly of the character described embodying a cannula, means for mounting the cannula upon a hypodermic syringema stop mounted on the cannula intermediate its ends, 'and a relatively straight tension member, one end of which is secured in fixed relation to the syringe and which tension member extends longitudinally along one side v of the cannula and is secured thereto beyond the stop to permit the removal of the cannula from the body of the patient in the event of breakage of the cannula intermediate the stop and syringe, said tension member being thereupon vadapted to exert a direct pull upon the broken off portion of the cannula.

3. An assembly of the character described embodying a cannula provided at one end with a tapering soft metal head having a groove therein, a projection on the cannula between the head and the free end of the cannula, and a tension member associated with the cannula beyond the projection and passing rearwardly past the projection and seated in the groove in the head.

j 4. An assembly of the character described embodying .a cannula provided at one end with a tapering soft metal head having a .*groove therein, a projection on the cannula between the head and the free end of the cannula, and a tension member associated with the cannula beyond the projection and passing rearwardly past the projection and seated in the groove in the head, in combination with a hub provided for a portion ,of its length with a tapering bore adapted vto cooperatel with the tapered head of the cannula, and for the remainder of its length with a threaded bore adapted to screw onto the threaded stem of a syringe.

5. An assembly of the character described embodying a cannula provided at one end with a tapering soft metal head having a groove therein, a projection on the cannula between the head and the free end of-the cannula, and a tension member associated with the cannula beyond the projection and passing rearwardly past the projection and seatedl `in the groove in the head, in combination with a hub provided for a portion of length with a tapering bore adapted to cooperate with the tapered head of the cannula, and for the remainder of its length with a threaded bore adapted to screw onto the threaded stem of a syringe for the purpose ofmounting the cannula on the syringe said head will project beyond the end of the hub to permit 'force to be applied to the projecting portion of the head to eiiect the expeditious removal of the head from the hub, said hub having threaded connection with a hypodermic syringe for the purpose of mounting the cannula rigidly on the syringe and simultaneously binding the' wire to the head.

7. An assembly of the character described embodying a cannula provided at one end wit-h a tapering head of soft metal having la groove formed therein, a projection on the cannula intermediate its free end and the head, a tension member encircling the cannula beyond the projection and passing longitudinally of the cannula and seated in the groove in the head, said tension member being in a predetermined directional relationship with the bevel of the sharpened point of the needle, whereby the position of the bevel may be known during injection, a hub provided with a rusto-conical interior portion adapted to receive the head of the cannula in such manner that said head will project beyond the end of the hub topermit force to be applied to the projecting portion of the head to effect the expeditious removal of the head from the hub, said hub having threaded connection with a hypodermic syringe for the purpose of mounting the cannula rigidly on the syringe and simultaneously binding the wire to the head.

In testimony whereof I have signed the foregoing specification.

ravine KULIK. i 

